Richard Parsons, the Time Warner CEO from 2002-2007 when the media conglomerate was recovering from the epic fail of the AOL merger who later became to interim chairman of CBS to right its ship following the resignation of Leslie Moonves, died Thursday in Manhattan after a long illness. He was 76.

Parsons’ longtime friend Ronald S. Lauder, a member of the Estée Lauder board, told the New York Times today that Parsons died of bone cancer.

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